Automatic movable crest for dams.



PATENTED AUG. 6, 1907.

G. F. STIGKNEY. AUTOMATIC MOVABLE CREST FOR DAMS.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 6. 190'].

2 SHEETS-SHEET}.

PATENTED AUG., 6, 1907.

G. I. STIGKNEY.

AUTOMATIC MOVABLE CREST FOR DAMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.8.1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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GEORGE F. STICKNEY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC MOVABLE CREST FOR DAMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907.

Application filed anuary 3. 1907. Serial No. 351,386.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. STICKNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Movable Crests for Dams; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in dams, and particularly to dams provided with crests.

The invention comprises the production of a stationary portion and a movable portion pivotally secured to said stationary portion, and adapted to act in conjunction therewith for regulating the height of water surfaces during various seasons of the year.

The invention further comprises the production of a stationary member in which a chamber is formed and a movable member pivotally secured to the stationary portion and provided with a chamber that is adapted to move in the chamber formed in the stationary portion.

The invention still further comprises the production of a stationary portion of any desirable material, and a movable portion pivotally secured thereto that is adapted to move automatically as water rises and falls in the streams that is being dammed.

The object in view is the production of a dam having a crest that is adapted to be operated automatically by the pressure of water that is being dammed.

Another object in view is the production of a dam having a movable crest that will automatically raise and stay in a raised position while the flow of the stream is normal and that will automatically fall and remain down while the flow of the stream is above the normal, or in times of flood.

A further object in view is the production of a dam which will raise the water surface and impound the water of streams, during the normal condition of flow, without materially increasing the flood height of the stream, thus avoiding the overflow of adjacent lands i times of flood. f

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 represents an isometric view of a portion of a dam having movable crests secured-thereto, constructed according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan fragmentary view oi a dam constructed according to the present invention, one of the crests being removed to better disclose the interior of the dam. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of Fig. 2 on line 3-'3, the crest being shown in its lowered position. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, the crest being shown in its extreme upper position.

have been provided for raising and lowering the crest v to accommodate the various height to which the water is brought and various other circumstances as occasion may require.

It is to the class of movable crests that the present invention relates, and particularly to crests that have no auxiliary means for moving the same.

Referring more particularly to the'drawings, 1 indicates the stationary part of a dam formed according to the present invention. The stationary or fixed portion 1 is provided with a hollowed-out or recess chamber 2, and is adapted to receive a parti-cylindrical portion 3 of the crest 4 to be more fully hereinafter described. The recess or pressure chamber 2 is in free communication with the up-strcam side of the dam by an opening or passageway 5 of any desired size, preferably located a little ways below the top of the fixed portion of the dam. By providing the opening 5, chamber 2 will be always supplied with water under pressure, due to the level of the water on the up-stream side, and as the water increases in depth the pressure of the water in the chamber will be correspondingly increased for action upon the crest 4. Positioned at any suitable place in the stationary part 1 of the dam is an air pipe 6 which is adapted to furnish air to depressions 7 and 8 in the portion 1 by means of suitable connecting pipes 9 and 10 as will be clearly seen in Fig.1.

The upper portion 13 of the stationary part 1 is slightly higher than the lower part so that when the crest 4 is down the water can freely flow over the crest. The movable portion or crest 4 of the dam is pivotally secured to the stationary or fixed portion 1, by means of suitable bands or hinges as 12, around a shaft 1]. The horizontally positioned shaft or axle 11 is preferably positioned just back of the upper portion 13 of the stationary part ofthe dam as clearly seen in Fig. 1. The axle or shaft 11 is held in place preferably by anchors as 14 embedded in the stationary part v1 of the dam, to which the bands or hinges 12 are attached. Secured to the shaft 11 is a preferably rectangular surface as 15 and a preferably rectangular shaped surface 16, the same radiating from the shaft 11 and held at any desired angle with respect to each other by sector shaped pieces 17 and 18. As shown the angle of the rectangular pieces 15 and 16 is 90 but it is desired to be understood that any other angle that maybe desired may be used or the surfaces 15 and 16 may be curved instead of plane, all within the spirit of the present invention. When it is desired to either increase or decrease the angle between the members 15 and 16 all that will be necessary is to alter the end pieces 17 and 1.8 so as to increase 0r decrease the angle as may be desired. Secured to the portions 15 and 1.6 is a curved back or surface 19 of any desirable material and is positioned at such a curve as to be adapted to operate in the hollowed-out or recessed portion 2. The curved portion 19 is struck on the same center as the curved portion 20 of the recessed portion 2 so that as the members 15 and 16 together with the surface. 19 operate the curved portions 19 and 20 will fit snugly so as to permit only a comparatively small amount of water to escape therebetween. It is to be understood that the memhers 15, 16 and 19 may be made of any desirable material as wood or metal as occasion may require and the surfaces 15 and 16 may be made of any desired size for accomplishing various results. Preferably the surface or member 15 is made considerably larger than the surface or member 16. The member 16 is preferably made simply sufliciently large to act as a bottom to the chamber formed by the curved member 19 and the end members 17 and 18, while the member 15 preferably is made considerably longer than the width of the member 19 and usually slightly higher. The dimensions and proportions in relation to each other of the members 15 and 1.6 may be varied for causing the dam to operate slightly different as various occasions may require. As shown in the drawings the stationary member 1 is made of masonry, but as will be evident, any suitable material may be used that will accomplish the same results.

The invention is designed to reduce the range of fluctuations in the water level of rivers and streams, increasing the height of water surface during seasons of drouth, by damming the flow and reduce the height during floods by lowering the crest providing a larger water way over the dam and thus increase the flow. As the water increases in height on the lip-stream side of the dam it will enter the aperture 5 and press against the lower surface of member 16 and when the water has reached a certain depth the pressure exerted will be sufficient to overcome the weight of the crest 4 and will gradually raise the same as the water continues to rise.

When the crest has rotated so that member 15 is in a vertical position as shown in Fig. 4 it will be prevented from further rotation by suitable chains or other desired limiting means 21. At one end the chain 21. is secured to the crest at 23 and at the other to the station ary part of the dam at 24. The depressions or recessed portions 7 and 8 are adapted to receive the chains 21 and 22 when the crest is lowered. The air pipes 6, 9 and 10 are adapted to furnish air to the recessed portions 7 and 8 so as to prevent a vacuum forming underneath the member 15 when the crest is down and water flowing over the dam.

It will be observed that the movable crest is operated entirely by pressure of the water that is being dammed and is entirely automatic in its action. Assuming that the water level above the dam is below the stationary portion 1 and is rising gradually the movable crest, of course, being-in its lowered position as clearlyseen in Fig. 3, as the water rises the same enon the lower leaf.

ters the chamber or hollowed-out portion 2 through the inlet The crest being buoyant on account of the chamber formed by the parti-cylindrical member 3 and members 15 and 16 will rise, or more accurately speaking. rotate and lift the upper leaf from its horizontal position. keeping the upper edge above the water surface. As the water rises higher on the upstream side of the dam the pressure in the pressure chamber becomes greater and the crest continues its rotation until the upper leaf assumes a vertical positiori, when its further motion is arrested by the limiting means 21. As the water continues to rise the pressure exerted on the upper leaf or member 15 would tend to rotate the crest downward or inthe opposite direction just described if it were not for the opposing pressure exerted Since the water exerts a pressure proportionately to its depth the intensity of pressure per unit area on the lower leaf is greater than that exerted on the upper leaf. By properly proportion ing the area of the two leaves the moment of the force exerted against. the lower leaf or member 16 may be made to exceed the moment of force exerted against the upper leaf until the water reaches the top of the upper leaf or member 15, at which stage in practical operation the two opposing forces should be equal and just balance each other. If the water should rise still higher and commence to overflow the member 15 the moment of the force tending to lower the crest will proponderate and the crest will rotate downward, thus allowing the water to escape over the dam. The weight of the crest assists in causing the same to rotate downward and taken with the force of the water that has raised to a height slightly above the dam, it will cause the crest to rotate downward until it is in the position shown in Fig. 3. In this new position the average depth of water over the lower leaf or member 16 is increased, the average pressure. per unit area is increased, the total pressure is increased and consequently the moment of the lift ing force is increased but this is much more than offset by the increase in moment of the water pressure against the uppcrlcafor member 15 due to the increased m x-rage depth of water over the same. As the. Water escapes over the dam its height gradually decreases and the pressure on the upper and lower leaves or members of the crest are gradually reduced. The moment of the force against the member 15 is reduced much faster than the moment of the force against the member 16, and finally a stage is reached by the continual flow of water over the dam when the uplifting moment preponderatcs and the crest rises again stopping all flow (er the dam.

As above described, the members 15 and 16 are made of different sizes so as to accomplish various results and to allow the crest to be raised and remain in such position automatically until the water rises above the crest.

A dam made according to the present invention may be made of any size all within the spirit of the present invention as will be evident. A dam may be made with only one crest 4, or any number of crests 4 may be made according to the length of the dam. When making a dam of several movable crests as seen in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it is preferable to make the crests exactly alike so that they will act in the same way. Under some circumstances it may be desirable to have all the crests in a dam of a considerable length made alike except one or two which may be adapted to be .its according to the proportions at which the members 15 and 16 are made. It will also be observed that the dam operates by the rise and fall of the Water in the stream and uses no machinery of any kind for manipulating the crest, yet the crest is firmly held in an upright position for maintaining the water at any level, below the top of member 15.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A dam composed of a stationary member and a plurality of movable members hinged to said stationary memher, said movable members being formed with hollow-airtight compartments, and said stationary member being formed with a hollowcdbut portion for accommodating said compartments. and a permanently unobstructed passageway from said hollowed-out portion to the rip-stream side of the dam.

2. A movable dam comprising a plurality of sections arranged end for end and formed with members positioned at an angle to each other for resisting the moment of the water being dammed for regulating the position of said dam.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a stationary member having a hollowed-out portion and formed with an unobstructed passage from said hollowed-out portion to the lip-stream side of the dam, and a movable crest pivotally mounted on said stationary member and formed with an enlarged portion, and a segment of a cylinder said segment being adapted to move in the hollowed-out portion of said stationary dam, a free circulation of water from the up-stream side of the dam passing through said passageway and acting upon one side of said segment together with the water on the np-stream side of the dam acting upon the upper side of said enlarged portion permitting automatic movement of said crest.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a stationary member. formed with a recessed-portion that is in free eonnnunication with the up-strcam side of the dam. a movable member pivotally secured to said stationary member. and means for permitting said movable crest. to be raised by water entering said recessed portion, and means for permitting said crest to be forced downward by the water being dammed.

A device of the character described, comprising a sta tionary member formed with a hollowedout portion, and

This may be done as will be evident an aperture for permitting free communication between said hollowed-out member and the upstream side of said stationary member, and a pivotally mounted crest secured to said stationary member, said pivotally mounted crest comprising an upper surface and a lower surface at angles to each other, said upper surface being of greater area than said lower surface, said surfaces receiving pressure in opposition to each other, and means for limiting the upward movement of the crest.

G. A device of the character described, comprising :1 Stationary member with a depression and air tubes communicating therewith, a pivotally mounted crest secured to said stationary member and adapted to cover said depression, and a chain for limiting the upward movement of said crest, said chain being positioned in said depression when said crest is in its lowered position, said air tubes being adapted to prevent the creation of vacuum underneath the crest when the crest is being over-flowed.

T. A device of the character described, comprising a stationary member, formed with a hollowed-out portion particylindrical in contour, and-a permanently unobstructed inlet forming free communications between said hollowedber, and a pivotally mounted crest secured to said stationary member comprisirig a parti-cylindrical member and a leaf secured thereto, said leaf and one surface of said parti-cylindrical member being adapted to receive pressure from the water that is being dammed for operating the crest.

S. A device of the character described, comprising a stationary member, aplurality of pivotally mounted crests secured to said stationary member and having portions adapted to move in said hollowed-out portion, means for permitting pressure from the water being dammed to raise said crest, means for limiting the upward movement of said crest, and means for permitting the water to antomatically rotate downward said crest.

9. A device of the character described, comprising a stationary member and a pivotally mounted member mounted thereon, said pivotally mounted member being formed with two faces at an angle to each other," said faces being of different sizes, said stationary member being formed with a hollowed-out portion for accommodating said movable member when in its lowered position, said hollowed-out portion being in free and unobstructed communication with the rip-stream side of said stationary member at all times and permitting the water being dammed to act upon one face of said movable member, the water freely acting at all times upon the other of said faces for automatically regulating the position of said movable member.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE I STICKNEY.

Witnesses (.IIAS II. llor'r,

Romcn'r E. HORTON.

out portion and the upstream side of the stationary mem- 

